


Beneath The Skin

by Melodywing



Category: Undertale, Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Again Still A WIP, Anger, Angst, Angst and Feels, Angst and Humor, Blood, CLEAN OF SIN, Cinnamon Roll Papyrus, Classic Papy Doesn’t Get Enough Love, Curiosity, Curious Papyrus, Drama, Family, Family Drama, Family Feels, Feels, Gore, Hiding An Issue, Humor, I REPEAT NO NSFW, Just Migrated To A03 so Bear With Me If Formatting Issues Arise, No Lemons, No Smut, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pain, Papyrus Has Issues, Papyrus Needs A Hug, Papyrus-centric, Police, Political Struggles(?), Post-Game(s), Probably Needs A Therapist More Than A Hug, Punny Skeletons, Sad, Sad Papyrus, Sans Is Concerned, Slow Burn, Surface world, Title May Or May Not Be a Pun, Undertale Monsters on the Surface, WIP, Work In Progress, and a therapist, clean, no Nsfw, pun, puns
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-03
Updated: 2018-06-03
Packaged: 2019-05-17 15:13:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 13,890
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14834669
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Melodywing/pseuds/Melodywing
Summary: Monsters have been living out of the Underground for a few months and relations and integration with human society is going smoothly. Papyrus and Sans, as they always do, live together in their new home on the surface world, watching sunsets and stars. After achieving his dream of joining the Royal Guard, Papyrus the Skeleton is suddenly faced with the prospect of human anatomy in a way that he hadn't expected would or could happen. What happens when his fascination becomes a habit, and one that could endanger the growing relationship between monsters and humans? The flamboyant skeleton is about to find out.





	1. Chapter 1

         The humans kept their distance, unaccustomed to the presence of odd creatures wandering about on the sidewalks and streets of Ebbot City. Many of them were afraid of what the Monsters would do, how they would act, who they were. Yet, some brave souls dared to get close to the interesting beings and became acquaintances with them. They were few and far-in-between, but they were there, walking the streets and minding their own business. All-in-all, relations were slowly becoming better and better. This was furthered by the human, Frisk, accompanying many of the Monsters as they made their way to different areas of the city. Whether it be the supermarket or the ice-cream shop.

          The brothers were certainly odd. Well, as odd as two sentient, magical skeletons could get, anyways. The tall one, Papyrus, they called him, would almost always take the lead of his party, walking with his chest puffed out and a wide, glowing grin on his skull. He wore a red, worn scarf that blew gently in the wind whenever he took a step, large, white shoulder pads connected to a spherical chest plate that was always shiny and clean, and a pair of short-shorts; so short, in fact, that they looked like a pair of brightly-colored blue and yellow underwear. Underneath his flamboyant armor was a black suit that made his colorful clothing pop out more and easily identify him in a crowd. His brother, Sans was less noticeable, preferring a blue hoodie and black shorts to his brother's lightly colored clothing choices. Somehow chubby for a skeleton; if asked why he would just reply that he was "big-boned"; Sans was laid-back and quiet. He chose only to speak when he felt he needed to (which wasn't much) and always seemed to be lost in his thoughts as he sauntered down the sidewalk, his hands in his pockets and a permanent grin set in his jaw.

         The brothers had just come from their home on the outskirts of the city. It was a quaint little place, quiet and green with their friends living in the same neighborhood. In fact, every monster that had previously dwelled in the underground now lived on that road. It was so populated with monsters that human residents and the Monster King had come to call it Monster Street; even though the street had an already-established name. It was very different from the underground, the Monsters observed when they came to the surface for the first time. The climate changed based on seasons; a prospect that they were very unfamiliar with; and days; something that the Monsters did have in the Underground, though they were much harder to tell apart there than on the surface. Never mind the differences, they claimed a home there and had achieved the impossible, escaping their previous, dark, damp cave system and finding a new living in the sun.

          Papyrus looked around at the bustling surroundings. The people, busy as always, were marching to and fro, some faster than others. A car blasted past a crowd of humans who were patiently waiting for the light to change and indicate safe passage across the crosswalk. Some were on their phones, and others were holding their children by the hand, answering their questions over the noise of city traffic. The tall skeleton and his elder brother joined the crowd, the taller of the two being sure to take the hand of his brother, who seemed relaxed. However, he knew Sans would panic if he lost sight of him. The panic level had increased since the day they escaped the mountain, Papyrus noticed. His brother said that it was nothing, "no big deal", but the armor-clad brother knew better. There was once a time where stepping out of the house would illicit a calm, subdued response. But, on the day when Frisk came, when everything changed for the better, Sans became excessively paranoid. Wherever Papyrus went, Sans was two steps behind, wherever Papyrus ran, he ran too; sprinting in a futile attempt to catch up, his younger brother's stride being more than twice that of his own. Why this was happening Papyrus had no idea, but whatever it was, he was determined to keep his brother from breaking into an irreversible state of extreme panic.

          The light changed and the crowd, with the brothers in tow, scurried across the road busily, not wanting to get caught in the inevitable sudden rush of traffic. Then, when the skeletons reached the edge of the sidewalk, at the far end of the crosswalk, they spotted it. The building was stout and long, the walls made of a tan concrete and seeming to stick out from the surrounding buildings. It had a very large sign in the front above the double doors, painted in bright, eye-catching white and green.

          "Ebbot Market," Papyrus read for what seemed like the seventeenth time, his high-pitched, nasally voice piercing the roar of the crowd. He had come here multiple times before then and had read the sign every time without fail. It was a sort-of tradition that he had made for himself. He would come, read the sign out loud, and then pull his older brother eagerly inside by the arm. There was good reason for his excitement. The Underground's goods and materials had only ever been objects and edibles discarded by surface dwellers. It was not a very nice thought; having to get your food and clothing from a literal dump; but the Monsters had no other place to go or get things from. They took what they could get and that was all, not worrying about bugs or dirt; they could wash it all off, but food and clothing was integral for their survival. They were lucky if they came across anything like a scarf or hat; items such as those were considered luxuries.

          Papyrus gripped the front of his scarf, lovingly. Remembering the Underground always made him appreciate his brother more. The scarf that the tall skeleton cared for so dearly came from that same dump. When he was very, very young, Sans had gone to the dump to find a book or two to read. They had just completed their small collection of magazines and childrens' books and the two young creatures were eager for more. That day, the sweat-shirt-clad skeleton had failed to find any type of reading material. He did not wish to upset his brother though, so instead of throwing in the towel and heading back, the stout monster had dug through more garbage until he was lucky enough to find a very large, tattered, and torn red scarf. They had found that the article of clothing could easily wrap around the skinnier monster's entire body. Nevertheless, the little guy was ecstatic, jumping up and down and hugging his brother as if clinging to a lifeline. After that day, he swore to wear the scarf every day; and that's exactly what he had done for a little over fifteen years.

          Over the years, the skeleton had grown into the large garment and now the cherry red fabric easily draped around his neck and shoulders.  
That very scarf swayed peacefully in the breeze as they stood and stared at the market's bright sign, the article having become a staple of the optimistic creature's outfit.

          "Come now, Sans! Onward we go!"

          "Alrigh'," The stouter skeleton chuckled at his younger brother's childish demeanor, his voice reverberating deeply in his chest, "Jus' don' walk too fast. I don' wanna lose ya' in the crowd."

          "Of course, brother! Though, I think that you should be the one to catch up! It would give you some well-needed exercise."

          "Nah, I'd ratha' not. It's way too hard to do for me. I won't _door_ ya' with the details," Sans's grin widened as the skeletons stepped through the sliding doors of the marketplace.

          Papyrus went rigid immediately, a pair of exaggeratedly angry eyeballs materializing in his sockets as he slowly turned his head to meet his brother's gaze.

          "Sans..."

          "Yeah, bro?"

          "That...was..... _horrible_."

          In reality, the taller brother quite enjoyed his elder's puns. He would never admit to this, however and always played the part of the annoyed younger brother. He knew his fake outbursts were humorous (Pun unintended) to Sans and did everything he could to keep the plump skeleton as cheery as his permanent grin would suggest. To mix it up a bit, Papyrus would occasionally join in on his brother's antics but, it was only very rarely that he did, preferring the more rediculous and over-the-top response to the casual one.

          "Sorry, bro. It was an opportunity that I needed to take."

          Papyrus sighed, his cheerful grin returning to his skeletal face before continuing on further into the large, busy building.

          "Now remember, Sans. We've only come to pick up a few things. Nothing new, just the usual."

          "Aw but, _bro_ , look at all the stuff they got in stock! There're like, fifty bottles of catsup!"

          "Yes, and there are always going to be fifty bottles of catsup. We already have some at home. Once you finish that, then we'll get more."

          "Really? Paps, we already 'ave like, twenty different types of spaghetti at home. You're obviously not gettin' anythin' we don't already 'ave.

          "That is where you're wrong, brother! The Great Papyrus is on a mission to get a special treat!"

          "A 'special treat'? Like a pastry? What for? There's nothin' coming up, is there? We celebrated your birthday, Frisk's had theirs," he continued to count off on his fingers, mentioning every monster he knew, completely stumped.

          "Oh, I just felt like you needed a little pick-me-up, is all! You've been very tired as of late; more so than usual. Something with sugar is bound to highten your senses!" Papyrus's sockets closed in content as he raised his gloved pointer phalange matter-of-factly.

          " _Ah_ , so this is anotha' scheme to get me to exercise? Good luck with that, bro," Sans's eyesockets relaxed as he slouched more, intentionally trying to seem lazier than he already was. "I'm neva' changin' my lifestyle, whethe' you try to get me to work or not."

          "Sans, it's _unhealthy_! One of these days, you're going to be in a situation where you'll need your physical strength. I'm only trying to help you gain it up."

          The hoodie-clad skeleton sighed. "Yeah, I guess you're righ'. I wasn't really thinkin' of the," Sans paused in front of the seafood counter and leaned sideways, toward a large tank of lobsters. They crawled over one-another slowly, some of them quietly staring out through the glass. " _Claws_ equences," Sans finished, his grin subtly widening into a knowing smirk.

          "Sans, I _swear to god_!"

          "Hm, yeah, you're righ'. That one was pretty _fishy_. How 'bout you try one, though? Your puns are always en _koi_ able to listen to!"

          "SANS, WE ARE IN _PUBLIC_!"

          "You're not _squid_ din'!"

          The taller brother growled and sighed, rolling his non-existent eyes. "Why do I even bother?"

* * *

 

         

         The pastries were in the very back of the market, so Papyrus was forced to endure his brother's "terrible" puns from the cereal aisle, to the fruit aisle, through the meat aisle, and until he finally made his way to an aisle lined with cakes and cookies and pies of all shapes and sizes. They looked and smelled freshly baked, filling the section with the alluring aroma of warm chocolate and sugary frosting. When he entered the edge of the aisle, Sans stopped and closed his eyes, taking in the calming and delectable scents.

          He sighed. "Nice"

          "Isn't it? I love coming here just to look at the selection they have and to smell the aroma of freshly cooked goodies!"

          Papyrus, himself was a chef; not a very good one, but one nonetheless. He preferred to make things from scratch and usually made Spaghetti. However, since the Monsters had left the Underground, Papyrus had found more recipes than he could ever ask for or knew about beforehand. This had caused him to expand his horizons, cooking lasagnas and pizzas (Sans's personal favorite so far due to the very small amount of work they required to make), and occasionally mixing it up a bit with differently seasoned spaghettis and sauces. The food items that he had always had trouble making however, were pasteries. He always seemed to accidentally add too much sugar to the mix, making every dessert he attempted unbearably sweet and crunchy. He preferred to leave the baking to Toriel, their goat monster friend, who was much more accustomed to making sweet things. It did fit her personality, he supposed.

          The brothers wandered the aisle, taking their time and inspecting rows upon rows of baked sweets. Sans's eye lights flicked between each frosted treat, occasionally widening at the particularly delicious-smelling ones. He wasn't paying any mind to his younger brother, entranced in the beautiful designs on each item of food. Papyrus was right when he said food was an art form, that was for sure.

          "Alrighty Sans, I've got what I need. I just need to go to the pastry counter to edit one last detail and we're all set!"

          "Okay."

          As the hoodie-wearing skeleton continued looking at each intricately decorated treat, Papyrus slipped away, making his way to the pastry counter. There were even more baked goods displayed behind some clean, shining glass, the counter acting as a display case. The scarved skeleton very gently placed the azure blue cake on the countertop, grinning kindly at the man currently working behind the glass counter before asking him if he could make the needed edits to the cake. He was glad Sans hadn't followed him, lest he ruin a perfectly planned surprise. He watched joyously as the man delicately added the needed touches to the cake in white frosting.

* * *

 

         The tall skeleton internally wiped the sweat off of his nonexistent brow as he and his brother liesurely walked down the sand-colored sidewalk. Keeping all of this excitement in was just killing him. He couldn't wait. They were in the suburbs now, closer to Monster Street, but not yet home. Papyrus had the grocery bag with the "special treat", as he had referred to it as, tucked in the plastic and swinging ever-so-slightly under his arm. His elder had attempted to take a peek at the food item, but he would not let him do so. Finally, they reached their small, two-story home. Sans pulled the keys out of his hoodie pocket and, as he stuck one of them into the keyhole, the others on the keyring jangled faintly. He swung the door open and turned on the lights, immediately flopping face-down on their large, forest green sofa. His voice was muffled by the soft, stuffed cushions as he spoke, too comfortable to move his head.

          "Tha's enough walkin' for today."

          "Sans, we were only out for _five hours_!" The taller brother exclaimed, stepping through the threshold and turning to close the door behind him.

          "A new record!"

          The thinner skeleton sighed and shook his head, walking with purpose through the living room before stepping into their kitchen. There, he placed the bag on the counter and removed the cake before gingerly placing it in the freezer above the fridge. His brother rarely put anything in the freezer. He was not a cook and was definitely not a monster with a refined taste. The most that he would ever make were hot dogs-only because he sold them-and ice cream. Papyrus didn't mind Sans's side business. It kept the former sentry busy and, to be perfectly honest, Sans's hot dogs were actually pretty good. They required little-to-no effort-most likely why Sans made them-but still had a different taste than when Papyrus or his other friends tried to make them.

          The skeleton shrugged his shoulders, pulled out the necessary ingredients for spaghetti, and began to prepare dinner. "It was just one of Sans's many secrets; nothing to think too hard about", Papyrus thought, placing a large pot of water on the stove. As he waited for the water to come to a boil, he stripped his gloves off of his boney hands and began to knead the floury pasta dough. After a few minutes of kneading, he flattened it out and cut it into strips.

          A throaty growl resonated from the living room and the tall skeleton stiffened before shaking his head. His brother had fallen asleep. He expected it wouldn't be long until that had happened; his brother's endurance levels had always been rather low. Like a cheap electric toy, his batteries were too weak to keep him running twenty four-seven. Papyrus always thought himself lucky. Somehow, he had inherited the enthusiasm from whoever had given him life and his brother had inherited the opposite. They were fire and rain. Apples and oranges. If they had not been brothers, Papyrus would have despised Sans's lazy habits. However, because they were brothers, and because of their vehement attachment to each other, they felt care and love and, to Papyrus, his habits became quirks.

          Papyrus was snapped out of his thoughts by a shrill, ringing noise followed by a loud snort from the living room. He heard the fabric of the couch rustle against clothing and the small clunk of bone hitting a hard surface before Sans's deep rumble of a voice spoke up.

         "Hello?"

         A few seconds passed before he continued.

         "Oh, 'ey kid! What's goin' on?...What're you talkin' about? I didn't jus' wake up," He let out a small chuckle before continuing. "Anyways, wha's the occasion? I don' usually get calls from ya'... _Really_? Well, we're always free-'leas', I'm always free."

         There was another pause.

         "Sure thing, kiddo! Don't be too long, though. I'll be waitin'!...Heh, you know me too well, kid."

         The sound of fabric against fabric resonated through the living room once again before quieting.

         "Paps, the human'll be comin' ova' tonight. I hope you're makin' mo' than one bowl in there."

         "Of course, Sans! You know me, I'm always prepared for company."

         This was true. Papyrus always made enough for and stored leftovers in the event that a guest would decide to arrive. It also helped in times where food was unobtainable. However, these times were few and far-between. Papyrus had obtained a job at a police station, per a request from Undyne. He was a cadet and worked directly under the fishwoman, herself. Undyne had, of course, earned the job of commander in chief almost immediately upon testing in. Her strength rivaled the beefiest man in the force and because of her talents in hand-to-hand combat, she inspired the chief to initiate new methods of combat training consisting of suplexing boulders and heavy equipment as well as punching bricks, boards, and punching bags. Papyrus, too was a force to be dealt with. Despite his peaceful nature and thin structure, he was surprisingly strong when he tried hard enough. However, his sentimental nature prevented him from harming anybody intentionally, keeping him from actually joining the police force. Still, he was determined to help his friends and humanity and was permitted to help train the new recruits under orders from Undyne. This job gave him enough money to supply the skeleton brothers with two month's worth of food a week. However, this was only due to the kind manner in which the skeleton spoke.

          If Papyrus were an object, he'd be a magnet. People and monsters were drawn to his upbeat attitude and considerate nature. He radiated with confidence like a star and never seemed to burn out. He was also willing to help anyone who required assistance.

          A chime rang through the house and the tall skeleton was once again jolted from his thoughts. He had just finished boiling a very large helping of spaghetti and turned the heat off just before turning to go to the door. The water continued to bubble and let out steam as he did so.

           As was the norm when answering the door, he put on his happiest grin, closed his eyes, and turned the doorknob.

          "Whoever is knocking at my do-?" His words were cut off by a surprised squeal as something heavy and firm smacked into his chest, knocking him off of his feet and onto the plush carpet below. Whatever tackled him seemed to hold him there, sitting on his chest and wrapping two, slender arms around his thin neck.

          "Uncle Papy!" The attacker giggled, squishing herself against the skeleton's puffy chestplate, giddily.

          The monster returned his "nephew"'s giggles before overdramatically throwing his arms over his head and wailing in mock defeat.

          "Oh, _no_! I have been struck down by a surprise attack! How will I _ever_ make it out of _this_?"

          The child's giggles intensified and before she knew it, she was being swung around in the air by her armpits, her brown, bobbed hair flying behind her as she squawked and screamed, happily.

          "Haha! The Great Papyrus has retaliated!"

          "Be careful, Papyrus. I know that Frisk and you are having fun, but remember that injuries can happen whenever you are not expecting it!"

          "Oh, Toriel! I apologize! I didn't see you there!" The optimistic skeleton gently placed the small human down, grinning at the white, fluffy monster standing in the doorway.

          Toriel was around Papyrus's height, had two, small, pointed, sand-toned horns sticking out of the top of her head, and two, long, furry ears that draped the sides of her face in slight shadow. Like Papyrus, she was known for her kindness, however she was much calmer than the former, her voice warm honey against a frozen world. It was enough to melt through the most sealed off of hearts and build them up with confidence and kind words.

          "Oh! Where are my manners? Come in!"

          She lifted her large, fluffy feet paws as if lifting a kitten and elegantly stepped over the threshold, her large, purple dress gently flowing behind her at every movement, making her seem almost otherworldly.

          "Heya kid, Tori," Sans's baritone chimed a greeting and his brother jumped a bit.

          "Sans, you know I don't like it when you sneak up on me like that!"

          The thicker skeleton had a knack for sneaking up on others and appearing in places without the shuffle of feet aiding in his movement. Papyrus had always known of his "shortcuts" and had grown somewhat used to his elder's continuous disappearing and reappearing. Still, it could manage to elicit a small reaction from him once in a while when he was not expecting it.

           Sans let out a chuckle. "Sorry, bro. I didn' mean ta' sta'tle ya'," he chuckled again and it was obvious that he had, in fact, fully intended to startle his brother. "Anyways, wha's up, kiddo? 'Aven't seen ya' since las' week!"

          "A lot of meetings with the human government," the young child responded.

          "Ah, right! They're still makin' negotiations, aren' they?"

          "Yes. It can be rather stressful. However, Frisk has been through worse, haven't you, my child?" Toriel gave a relaxed smile and leaned over to see Frisk's face.

          The small girl nodded and smiled, reassuringly. "Yes, mama."

          "So, how are things with you two? Have you applied for a college yet, Papyrus?" The goat monster looked to the brothers.

          "Ah-," Papyrus started, nervously.

          In actuality, he had not found a college yet. It wasn't that he was afraid of the people that would attend there, quite the opposite, really, it was just that he was not sure if any colleges accepted monsters yet. Undyne, who had three years on Papyrus, had never been accepted into any college in any of the interviews that she had attended. Alphys, barely a year older than Undyne, was the Royal Scientist and, therefore, did not need to attend college. In truth, he was afraid of being alone and, if he were accepted, discriminated against.

          "I'll find one soon enough! The Great Papyrus never backs out of a challenge!"

          The goat woman chuckled, "Well, Frisk and I believe in you, dear."

          Frisk nodded before her expression changed to one of mischievous glee. Before Sans or Papyrus could question it, the human pounced once again, this time landing squarely on the elder brother's torso.

          "Woah! H-hey kid!" His eyes widened before his grin slowly curved into a smirk. "That one really _bowled_ me ova'."

          The girls laughed at the stubby skeleton's remark. The sweatered arms of the child shook in time with each chortle in their position around the chubby monster's chest. Papyrus rolled his nonexistent eyes.

          "I'm glad that this was the fate that be _fell_ you, Sans!" Toriel put a large, white paw to her muzzle and snickered.

          "Oh, my _god_!" The lengthy skeleton's eyes rematerialized in his sockets before glaring exaggeratedly at the group.

          "What's wrong, Uncle Papy? I don't want you to _fall_ ill!"

          "No! Now the _human_ is doing it!"

          "And I have never been so proud," The furry monster finished, stifling her laughter.

          The eyes dematerialized as quickly as they had come, the empty sockets widening.

          "Oh, I nearly forgot!" He announced, raising a finger, excitedly. "I have made spaghetti for dinner! It smells as though it is nearly ready. Please, make yourself comfortable whilst I, the Great and Gentlemanly Papyrus finish fixing the food!" The skeleton grinned widely before spinning on his booted heel and stepping into the kitchen.

          The strainer has already been placed on the counter when he was in his daze and taking it and the pot over their new sink (their old one had been too tall and a hassle to work with) and poured the noodles into the strainer. Once dry, he put the noodles into a very large serving bowl. Then, he took the meatballs and sauce that he had previously prepared, and, with great care, delicately placed them into the steaming, doughey strands. Turning to the table now, he went to his cabinets and took out four plates along with a set of fancy silverware. Quickly, the table was set and he placed the bowl into the middle.

          "Dinner, everyone!" He cried, his hand cupping his cheekbone so as to project better, something that he had no trouble doing without his hand's assistance.

          There were multiple intakes of breath before the company, including his brother, entered the kitchen. In unison, as if it were rehearsed, the three creatures sighed, comforted by the smell of home-cooked food, Papyrus predicted.

          "Wow, Papyrus. This smells absolutely _delightful_!" Toriel seemed genuinely surprised and excited. "Have you been practicing?"

          "Thank you, Miss Toriel. That, I have. It was very kind of you to notice! Please take a seat, all of you!"

* * *

 

          Dinner went by without a hitch. Frisk, Toriel, and Sans agreed that it was the best spaghetti that Papyrus had ever made. For once, there were few leftovers and everyone was satisfied. The guests left and a pleasant silence washed over the skeleton brothers' home. The smaller brother yawned.

          "A'ight, bro. Bedtime."

          "Aw, but _Sans_ , I am not even tired and have to clean the _kitchen_!" The younger brother whined, childishly.

          "Alright then, no bedtime story tonight, I guess!" Sans shrugged, teasingly before turning to start up the staircase. His right foot had just landed on the first step when his brother's nasally voice rang through the air.

          "No, _wait_!

          If anyone had watched, they would have missed the upward curve of the elder's grin slightly stretching.

          "Yeah, bro?"

          "I-I've changed my mind," Papyrus cursed in his head. The charms of a good bedtime story were too great.

          "A'righ' then, come on. Le's get in our PJ's, eh?"

          "Okay."

          The tall skeleton quickly made his way up the stairs and into his room, pulling out his nightcap and favorite pajamas. After slipping both items of clothing on, he carefully settled into his red, race car bed, careful not to wrinkle the sheets. As soon as he settled, a wave of drowsiness washed over him. He had no idea that he was this sleepy and he yawned in surprise, his eyelids drooping.

          "Sans, I'm ready!" His voice sounded strained with a longing for sleep.

          Immediately, he felt a presence at the side of his bed. It was one of comfort, not of intimidation or danger, and a soft, blue glow emanated from the source.

          "So, what story would ya' like tonight?"

          Papyrus made his request and shifted to his side, watching as Sans lazily dragged his slippered feet across the white, carpeted floor before stopping in front of a large bookcase. He leaned down and pulled out one of the books, the cover being lit by his large, blue, ocular light, before turning and shuffling back. The small skeleton sat down next to his brother, who had moved over to make room not three seconds before, and made himself comfortable against the headboard, making sure that his little bro had access to the colorful illustrations on each page.

          The younger brother quite enjoyed this nightly ritual. It had started when he was a baby bones and as he grew older, he came to appreciate the event as brother bonding time, a time when they could be together and he could relax. He was always comforted by his brother's single, glowing, blue eye lighting the pages and the way that his voice softened from its normally tough and lazy tone to one of deep meaning. It was as if he was acting out the stories he told with his voice alone. Papyrus listened intently. He had heard this story many times, yet it never ceased to amaze him how every word Sans uttered was new and unheard of before now. It filled him with the feeling of his soul being wrapped in clouds, each minuscule puff cradling him, carefully in warm softness. The clouds were soft, yet barbed, sticking into anything that threatened his life or peace and guarding him from rain or thunder.

          When the story concluded, the clouds gently laid him back into his bed and skeletal hands quietly shut the book closed. Sans's glowing socket turned toward his brother and his grin was soft. Papyrus had his eyelids almost completely shut and seemed to stare off into nothing, his consciousness slowly drifting off and taking him with it. The rounder skeleton chuckled, quietly. A good bedtime story never failed to relax and quiet the workaholic skeleton.

          "G'nigh', Paps. Love ya," Sans gave his barely-conscious brother a good night hug that the younger skeleton attempted, and failed, to return.

          "Good ni-," He yawned, the action interrupting his short, quiet sentence, "-ight, brother. I love you, too."

          With that, he was out, the soothing black of sleep engulfing him in its soft, dreamy embrace.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We get to see Papyrus’s job and get a bit of foreshadowing.

A shrill tingling sound caused him to open his eyesockets with a start. Sitting up, the lengthy monster reached out and pressed his alarm's off button before putting his arms over his head. He let out a small groan as his boney joints popped into place and yawned, turning to hang his legs off the side of the bed. There was that disgusting, unclean taste in his mouth and he clacked his jaws together to attempt to rid himself of it, his right arm bending to itch at the small of his back.

In one swift motion, he tilted forward and hopped to his feet, putting on his signature grin and pulling his curtains open, energetically. The sunlight flowed into his room and chased out the dim shadows inside.

" _ **Good morning, surface world,**_ " He bellowed before running to his closet and pulling out a clean, ironed, bright blue police uniform and lying them neatly on the edge of his red, race car bed.

The tall skeleton hurriedly pulled off his pyjamas and put on the articles of clothing that he had laid out, struggling to put on his shirt in his excitement and almost forgetting to put his laundry in the bin (he gasped when he remembered, not wanting to take on his brother's lazy habits) as he walked out his bedroom door, red scarf billowing in the slight breeze. His orange, wooden door shut behind him and Papyrus fixed his hat as he hollered Sans's morning wake-up call.

"Sans! It's morning! Time to wake up, lazy bones!"

There was a silent pause before a deep, muffled, scratchy morning voice answered.

"'N a moment, bro. 'Ang on," the owner of the voice cleared his throat and yawned, loudly before silence reigned over the house once again.

The lengthy monster hopped down the stairs and sprinted enthusiastically into the kitchen. Breakfast was always exciting to the skeleton. Admittedly, he thought every meal was worthy of celebration, but breakfast was most-definitely his favorite. It was the only time of day when it was acceptable to eat fruit and sweet things, or so he thought. Fruit and vegetables had been in short supply in the underground. The conditions underneath Mount Ebbott were too dark and cold for many plants to grow and those that did were either not for consumption or rather expensive. Apples and pears and oranges were treats that monsters greatly appreciated trying and purchasing when they finally made it to the surface world. They were decently priced, good for the body and soul, and sweet. This is why many underground creatures, including Papyrus, enjoyed preparing and eating fruit in many meals.

As the skeleton quickly chopped up an apple on a cutting board, humming a familiar tune as he did so, Papyrus noted the distinct lack of fruit puns being thrown around

"Sans, you'd better not be going back to _sleep_!"

Another pause.

"'M not. Don' worry, bro."

Papyrus rolled his eyesockets before dropping his knife on the cutting board, stomping upstairs to his brother's door, and whipping it open, loudly. As the thick wood hit the doorstop, the tall skeleton roared.

" _ **SANS, GET UP!**_ "

Immediately, the lump of sheets that was the stout skeleton jumped up and fell from his bed to the unvaccuumed floor with an unceremonious thump. His form wriggled and shifted,untangling himself from the confines of his comforter before popping his head out.

"I'm up, _I'm up_! _Yeesh_ Paps, you didn' needa _sta'tle_ me like that!" Sans panted, a boney hand over his chest.

"Apparently, I do! Nothing seems to work with you! You always say you'll get up, but low and behold, when I check, I find you still tucked in and-!"

"A'right, _a'right_ , calm down, bro. Give it a rest. I swear, tomorrow I'll get up without you havin' to yell at me, 'kay?"

The tall brother sighed.

"Puns aside, I am counting on you to keep that promise, brother! Now, come downstairs! I would like for you to prepare breakfast with me!"

"Ah, bro, cookin's _your_ thing, not mine. You know that."

"I know and I don't care! We are spending time together, if only for this morning! Now, up you go, big brother!" At that, Papyrus swooped Sans up and carried him as if handling an infant, being careful so as to not harm the smaller skeleton's fragile, white bones.

"No, offica'!" Sans joked, pretending to struggle against the other, "I'm not the one you want!"

The younger of the two monsters chuckled, nyeheh-ing quietly before taking his first step down the stairs.

"No excuses! You are under arrest for loafing around continuously and for multiple accounts of refusing to clean your room!" Sans snickered at the rarely punny skeleton's pun, "Any puns you say can and will be used against you in a court of law!"

"I don' wanna do physical activities! I'm too _young_!" The skeleton beat gently against his brother's back.

"Talk to the judge!" Papyrus grinned, turning into the kitchen and gently placing the small monster down on the white, tiled floor.

The taller brother pulled a banana out of the fridge, a cutting board out of one of the cabinets, and a knife out of a drawer before handing all three items to his companion. He turned back toward the counter and picked up his own knife, focusing back on the apple that he had been chopping before.

"So, whatta' we makin', bro? Some sorta' pastry?"

"Sans, you know I'm not good at baking. We are making a brand new, never before seen breakfast dish!"

"Soun's sweet," The other remarked, sinking his knife into the already-peeled banana.

Rolling the black, blank sockets that were his eyes had become a habit by now, Papyrus found and he shook his head in mock annoyance.

The morning went on like this, the skelebros chopping up multiple fruits and piling them into a large, serving bowl. Sans made it a point to rattle off as many fruit puns as he deemed necessary and by the time that the bowl was full, the tall skeleton was legitimately sick of his family member's incessant wordplay. With the bowl filled to the brim, the taller bone brother reached into a cupboard and pulled out a bottle of honey before squeezing it all over the fruit and mixing it in.

"Ta da!" Papyrus yelled, gesturing to the bowl. "I call this dish a fruit salad!"

"Uh, 'Rus? I'm pretty sure that's already been invented."

"What? How can this _be_! I was sure I had created a brand new, amazing dish that would surely rise to be the most popular in the world, sweeping many a human off their feet, but it seems that my genius idea has already become popular," The loud monster thought a moment before putting a phalange up into the air. "I still count this as a victory for the Great Papyrus!"

Sans's permagrin widened at his brother's antics. Truly, he was one of the only things that could make his painted on expression legitimate.

As Papyrus dished out the salad, Sans cocked his head, throwing a question out at his brother. "So, what's on the agenda fo' today, Paps?"

"Undyne has something important to talk to me about! I'm super excited to see what it is! Oh, maybe it's a promotion to officer! After all, a monster as great as me is bound to be promoted sooner or later! Hopefully sooner rather than later," he trailed off, putting a piece of honeyed apple in his mouth.

"That would make sense. I'm proud o' ya', bro. Whateva' happens, yo' still the coolest dude in the wo'ld."

The taller of the two's sockets sparkled, his skeletal grin widening before he blinked and made a noise identical to clearing his throat.

"O-of _course_ I am! The Great Papyrus has and always will be the coolest being on Earth!" He put one fist on his hip and one to his heart, his sockets closing in quiet pride before opening once again. His jaw opened as if he had something to say and then closed again, sticking his fork into a piece of banana.

"Shro," Sans started, his mouth full of pear, "Arnr plrnsh reftr wrk?"

"Sans, for the five-hundredth time! Please don't speak with your mouth full!"

He swallowed and tried again.

"Any plans afta' work?"

"No, but I may visit doctor Alphys afterward. I have some sparring cracks that have not yet healed."

Immediately, the stout skeleton stood and leaned over his plate, the silverware rattling as his boney hands hit the table. "What! Bro, whe' ah they? Why didn' ya' _tell_ me you were inju'ed? Ah they _bad_? I swea', when I find whoeva' hu't you, I'm gonna-!"

"Sans, it's _okay_! They're just a few scratches and bruises that haven't disappeared yet. The Great Papyrus can handle _any_ injury, especially if inflicted during training! They only serve to strengthen him!" Papyrus grinned almost triumphantly at his own words of wisdom.

The smaller skeleton sighed, running phalanges over his skull as if fixing his hair and sitting down, softly. "I'm sorry, Paps. I-I just-."

"It is okay," He placed a smooth, white hand over his brother's. "I know you have been very stressed ever since we reached the surface. Though I do not know the cause, I am determined to do whatever I can to assist you in these trying times. I would not permit myself to do otherwise."

Sans's permanent grin curved upward again before the taller skeleton gasped. His head was angled upward, sockets focused on the softly ticking, circular mechanism on the wall.

"Sans, how _could_ you!"

"I dunno what yo' _talkin_ ' 'bout, bro."

"You knew that conversing with me would inevitably end in my tardiness and, yet, you did so anyways! You are just so insufferable, sometimes!" He grabbed his blue police cap by the bill and threw it down to the kitchen floor,crossing his arms. The elder rumbled a chuckle at his brother's overdramatic antics and shoved a large piece of strawberry into his mouth before replying.

"Thrtsh _mer_! Shrnsh, th' rnshufr'ble."

The other monster groaned.

* * *

 

" _ **Papyrus, you're late!**_ " A battle-hardened, scratchy voice barked as soon as the skeleton set foot into the lobby of the Police Station, making him jump into a quick salute.

The monster it belonged to trudged out of the door to the office and toward him, growling. Her skin was blue, just a shade lighter than her uniform and, if inspected closely seemed to be made out of tiny, silvery scales that glinted in the sunlight. Her teeth were just slightly yellowed, pointed, and serrated; menacing, yellow knife blades clamped in a tight grimace. Her hair (which seemed to be made out of cartilage or a similar, finlike material) was a bright, fire truck red; and was pulled into a loose, messy ponytail. She had ears in the shape of fins that were folded down tightly against her cheeks and she seemed to lack a nose, save for two, tiny slits in the center of her face. The monster's eyes were uneven as well, the right was a shimmering gold with a slit pupil and the left was concealed by a soft, black eyepatch. Finally, though she had a nose and mouth, she also had three gills on either side of her neck. They flared, furiously taking in a large gulp of air so as to capably scold the skeleton.

"I a-apologize, Undyne, M-Ma'am! Sans s-stalled me a-again." The white monster swallowed. Beads of transparent orange sweat conjured up on his skull and slowly trickled down into his suit.

Undyne glared up at him, her chest puffed out intimidatingly. Though a head shorter than papyrus, she still managed to bring a dark cloud over the charismatic skeleton and a shiver through his bones when she wanted to.

Suddenly, the fish woman barked a hearty laugh and slapped the other monster on the back, the fins on the sides of her head extending, joyously and mouth curving into a hearty grin.

"Come on, Paps! You know I'm only jokin' with ya'! I was worried you'd bailed on us, bud! Sans must've upped his levels of lazy, today, huh?"

Papyrus blinked and fell out of his salute, arm falling to his side, limply. His expression switched to one of content as he replied.

"Yes, something like that. I apologize for my tardiness, Undyne. However, I am glad you are not cross with me! I thought that I had done something incorrectly!"

"' _Course_ not! I could _never_ be angry at you, ya bonehead!" She said, pulling the taller monster down by the back of his uniform and giving his skull a rough noogie. "But, because you were late, I think I'll give you fifty more laps around the track today!"

"Yes ma'am!" He Saluted once more before his sockets lowered in worry. "Wait, which track, may I ask, am I going to run?"

The female's grin widened, sinisterly.

* * *

 

"You're doing great, Paps! Just thirty more to go!"

"Undyne, _**please**_ ," He heaved, "Call them off!"

His bony legs burned, humeruses and ribcage stung as he furiously worked his non-existent muscles. Beads of orange sweat rolled down his skull and dampened his cleanly pressed blue uniform underneath his scapulas and around his collar bone as he sped away from his furry pursuers.

The pups, Undyne knew, were not a threat. They were new K9 recruits that had been brought onto the training grounds for the first time. Barely even able to attack yet and full of energy, they were the perfect training buddies for her favorite skeleton. Papyrus was not exactly a dog person and, as such, any dog that was overly energetic was perceived as a threat. He hated it when any canine chewed on or stole his bones and would usually scold any animal that decided to do so. The fish woman had considered her friend's treaining very carefully. One dog was easily scoldable, but thirteen? There was no way.

She had originally planned for him to run the track for fourty laps, but his tardiness had proved an opportunity that was very beneficial to the officer and her trainee. The new pups had to learn to run fast in the event of a police chase and Papyrus needed to learn how to sustain his stamina without tripping over his own boots. His two left feet had caused him to lose many physical training sessions, Undyne had noted. Though he was incredibly good at controlling his magical attacks, the strength, speed, and intensity at which they were released always carefully calculated, he was rubbish at dodging and physical combat. She had silently remarked once or twice that if he lacked legs, he would be an unstoppable force of magic. However, this was obviously not the case based on the long, clumsy protrusions swinging and rolling quickly, carrying his body around the long, circular track.

The animals nipped and yipped at the frightened skeleton's booted heels, ears flopping and tails wagging. To them, he was one big, running chew toy. Of this, Papyrus was quite aware, chest expanding and deflating quickly, jaw clenched and grinding, feet and legs screaming.

"Keep running! You can't afford to stop," his soul hollered, pounding in his chest like a snare drum.

"Almost there, bud! Fifteen more!"

Some of man's best friend had fallen back, pink tongues flopping out of their tiny maws and dripping saliva onto the ground. Those who continued their pursuit bounced on their stubby paws and stumbled ever so slightly, signs that their stamina was running thin. The skeleton was not very far behind, sockets squinting and huffing in exhertion. His arms and legs had grown numb from exhaustion, the one small, merciful action his overworked body could supply to him. Papyrus hopped over and around the pups in his way, the milliseconds spent in the air supplying his thin fibulas with screaming agony. Breaths turned into wheezes, his skull scrunched up in concentration, channeling as much oxygen as he could in through his nasal cavity and out through his mouth.

"I can do this," his soul thumped, encouragingly. "I just need to keep believing I can!"

The blur of white, blue, and red that was the hyperactive skeleton seemed to speed up at the thought and Undyne could have sworn that an orange blaze burst to life in his right eye socket, trailing behind him like exhaust from a fighter jet. It was gone as quickly as it came, however and the fish woman's golden corneas followed her friend's path along the track, brushing the sight off as a hallucination caused by the speed at which he was traveling.

"Ten more, bestie! Keep it up!"

"I can do it! I can _do_ it!" His soul raced with thoughts and excitement, mandible curving upward giddily. Boots slammed against the tartan track, pushing his body forward quickly. Faster, faster, dodge, hurdle, jump, hop. Panting and heaving and huffing he went, accelerating gradually, gradually, gradually, until-!

Time seemed to slow to a crawl. Papyrus's right foot crossed over his other as he lunged to dodge a panting canine, body lurching forward in a sudden "pounce". His arms reached out ahead of him in a futile attempt to halt the impending crash and began turning his torso to his side midair to prevent breaking anything. His jaw and sockets clenched shut and nasal ridge scrunched up, preparing for impact.

His right shoulder made contact first, skidding against the hard, rough plastic and tearing rugged holes in the blue fabric of his once spotless uniform. Along with the fabric came sand-like fragments of bone, being shaved off by the false, rocky ground and leaving a small trail of white bone dust in his wake. The pups still giving chase tackled the injured monster or ran into him, jostling and biting and yapping, each attempting to make purchase on Papyrus's exposed bone. Those who did manage to climb up were quickly pushed off and replaced by another squirming puppy, digging their tiny claws and teeth into the skeleton's other humerus until being replaced and beginning the cycle again.

"Shit, _**Papyrus**_!" Undyne sprinted onto the track, puppies jumping out of the way of her shiny, black combat boots as they made contact with the ground.

The mass of wriggling dogs was slowly becoming bigger, the once spent pups regaining stamina and going over to inspect and get a piece of the action. Before they could continue further, the fish woman swept the knawing animals off of the skeleton.

" _Down! Down! No! Bad!_ "

They tumbled to the ground, whining and squealing, each attempting to go back to the large, bony creature before being silenced and called off by the officer's harsh reprimands. They cried, ears pulled back against furry heads as they laid down in submission, some running away in embarrassment only to cower in the grass around and inside the track.

Papyrus was curled up on the ground, shaking with pain and the effort of holding in his whines and cries. The humerus that the dogs were fighting over was scratched slightly and had tiny bite marks scattered across it, marring the pristinely white surface. His face was scrunched up, teeth grinding against each other, furiously. Now that he had stopped running, the pain in his legs began to catch up to him. It started as a dull throb, escalating into a raging inferno blazing on the inside of his leg bones. It was pure, unadulterated agony and, combined with the screaming pain running down the full length of his right humerus, caused his breath to come short and quick. He felt there was not enough oxygen; that he was drowning in excruciating pain.

"Papyrus, are you _okay_? Can you hear me?"

Undyne placed a gentle hand on her friend's shoulder, kneeling to make sure he was not passed out from the obvious discomfort. To her relief and pity, the skeleton took a sharp, shaky breath in through his nose, startled at the sudden, gentle contact. He answered through his teeth, his voice strained and wavering.

"I'm f-fine."

The fish woman sighed in remorse.

"You're gonna have to turn over, bud. I need to see the damage."

"I c-can't...Legs are...B-Burning."

" _Maybe_ doing more than fourty laps was a bad idea," Undyne thought, "especially with the added 'threats'."

The officer would usually assign the skeleton at most thirty five laps. She had slowly been increasing the amount periodically over time. Today was going to be an increase to fourty laps. However, there came the opportunity. She had thought that adding pursuers would not change a thing, however she had somehow forgotton about the fact that when intimidation and fear comes into play, nobody is in the right mindset to monitor their pace. Undyne was actually taken aback by the fact that Papyrus did not stop immediately when his legs began succumbing to complete numbness. Based on the state he was in, his legs had been numb for a long while before he tripped.

"Alright, hang on Pal."

She walked around so his back was facing her and put his hands on it, preparing to push.

"I'm gonna roll you over. This may hurt a bit," she warned.

"Oh....Kay...."

She put pressure on the back of his ribs, tipping him forward easily (he was surprisingly light) and proceeding to roll him to his other side. Papyrus grunted painfully as his injured arm left the ground and his less injured arm replaced it. What she saw nearly made her gasp.

Mauled was one way to describe his arm. The bone was scraped one fourth of the way through the marrow and the blood vessels within were broken, blood seeping steadily into the wound and adding to the already copious amount present. There was a spot where his humerus once was on the tartan, staining the track with a brighter red than the surrounding ground. Small pieces of broken plastic were sticking in the spongey, once yellow marrow, leaving the bloody surface spotted with darker red. Sans was going to kill her.

Undyne swallowed the saliva in her mouth and took a breath.

"O-Okay. Hang on a moment, buddy," she said, pulling her cell phone out of a pants pocket.

"I-is it," He took a shaky breath, "bad?" Papyrus squinted his sockets open a smidgeon.

"No! No! Not at all! Just- _ **No, don't look!**_ " She lunged forward and placed a hand over his sockets, her phone faintly buzzing.

"Undyne?" Another breath, "I-I don't feel s-so good."

The scaly woman shushed her friend, soothingly, her softer side revealing itself as she pulled his prized scarf over his head, tore the already broken sleeve from his uniform, ripped her sleeves from her uniform, poured some water from her bottle to clean the wound (he had hissed through his clenched teeth), and wrapped her sleeves around the bleeding bone to lessen the flow.

"I know, I know. Just don't speak, alright? I'm gonna help ya'."

Finally, the person on the other end of the phone picked up. They were muffled, but Papyrus could still make out the voice on the other end of the line.

"Al! It's Undyne!" She all but screamed into the mouthpiece.

A high-pitched, nasally voice gave an answer through the receiver before being cut off.

"No time! Papyrus is injured and we're going to need some medical attention. I'm bringing him to your lab because it's quicker than waiting in a hospital and, frankly, I just don't wanna pay for that at the moment! I'll see you there!"

Another response, this time hurried, radiated from the speakers before being cut off by the blue monster's ending the call.

"Alright, let's get to it. Can you walk?"

"I d-don't-," before he could finish, Undyne hauled the injured skeleton up and wrapped his less injured arm around her shoulders. Immediately, searing pain flowed through his legs and he nearly collapsed in agonized surprise.

"Alright, okay. It's okay," she soothed, "we're gonna take this nice and easy, okay? One step at a time."

The walk to the car was slow and excruciatingly painful. Every step sent a jolt of electricity through his legs and his wound throbbed at regular intervals, causing him to tear up, wince, and suck large portions of air through the tiny gaps in his teeth. His friend had tried to sooth him, each hiss being greeted by a word of reassurrance and encouragement. The drive was no different. Though he was not making use of his legs, they continued to burn, however it was at a slightly lower intensity than before. Each bump sent a spark of pain through his legs until, finally, the vehicle rolled to a stop in front of a large, white university building.

Again, Undyne assisted the skeleton in walking, automatic doors sliding open with a whir. Humans and monsters in white lab equipment were speeding from room to room, holding clipboards and suitcases filled to bursting with important documents. Undyne seemed unphased by the bustling traffic and gently guided the injured monster into a large elevator, hastily pressing the button for the third floor and hushing his slight whimpers. She took deep breaths with him, in through his nasal cavity, and out through his mandible. In and out. In...And out...In...And...Out...In...Out.

The elevator chimed and it's doors clattered open, the two limping down the hall ahead of them and to the right, only stopping to pull a heavy, white door open, revealing a large, white room filled with expensive-looking tools and machinery.

"Wh-What _happened_ , Undyne?"

A yellow reptilian monster, half the size of the blue-scaled woman, stepped to the side, watching timidly as her girlfriend hauled the skinny skeleton to a recently cleared examination table in the center of the room. The chrome was cold and hard and was the surface Papyrus wanted to lie on the least after such an ordeal, but he held back his protests and laid down on the uncomfortable metal, Undyne letting him down gently.

"I kinda sorta maybe sent a pack of new trainees after him during his daily run."

"A pack...of Trainees?"

Undyne hesitated.

"They may have been young K9 Units?"

" _U-Undyne!_ "

The skeleton whined, a burst of pain running through his humerus again, the restrained cry calling the attention of the golden lizard. At once, she scurried over to the table, booted claws clipping quickly across the tiled lab floor. Gently, she gripped the makeshift bandaids wrapped around the bony arm. They had been dyed purple by the consistent river of blood flowing from the wound and had become soggy with the liquid. Carefully, she unwrapped the fabric from the bone, peeled the pieces off, and placed the fabric on an adjacent tray.

The fish was expecting to see the injury again. She was expecting the shock to return once more as the sleeves dropped to the tray with a series of wet shlops. What she was not expecting was Alphys's shrill gasp at the sight of the injury. It jolted her out of her thoughts and she quickly looked toward the dinosaur to make sure she was not harmed. Of course, she was not, but she was scrambling to and fro, grabbing disinfectant and rolls of clean, white bandages and medical tape, as if she was.

" _Oh my god_! W-What were you _thinking_? H-How fast was he-? What caused th-this?"

"T-Tripped...Wasn't th-thinking...s-sk-," Papyrus took a quick, quivering breath, "Skidded," he whimpered again, squeezing his eye sockets shut at the pain.

"Oh my god!" She opened the bottle of disinfectant and poured a healthy amount on a washcloth, capping the bottle and gently gripping the skeleton's arm below the wound. The lizard woman looked into his sockets, sympathetically.

"Th-This is going to hurt a-a _lot_. D-do you want something to bite down on o-or-? Oh my god."

Papyrus nodded shakily, his teeth grinding to stifle the pain. Instantly, Alphys reached in her lab coat pocket, pulling out a black, leather wallet. She hurriedly handed it over to him and he shoved it between his teeth, biting gently to hold it.

"R-Ready?"

He nodded before the cloth came in contact with his arm. All at once, a searing pain bloomed in his humerus, causing him to instinctly bite down hard on the smooth leather. Tears came to his sockets and his face scrunched up in pain. He struggled to hold back his yells and cries, whines making their way through his clamped mandible. His non-existent ears rang and the world stopped. The pain moved with the dinosaur's arm, burning and stinging for what seemed like forever, never ending and malicious. Flaming bees swarmed, licking, enveloping, attacking his senses with overwhelming agony. They beat his skull with invisible hammers, squealing in his ears and slowly began pushing on his cranium. He couldn't breathe. He had forgotten how to breathe. It felt like something was pushing on his ribs. Seconds felt like minutes, minutes felt like hours, until, finally, the pain was diluted and his hearing returned.

Papyrus squinted his eyes open, feeling the dull warmth of tear tracks staining his cheekbones and a hand that was not present previously petting his skull, soothingly. He took a quick breath through his nasal cavity, finding that he could not control his breathing. It would calm, then he would take a gasp-a cycle that continued, filling the empty air with high-pitched intakes of breath.

"Sh, it's okay, buddy. You're okay. The painful part is over now."

"P-Papyrus, c-can you hear us?"

The skeleton nodded before his other, uninjured, trembling arm reached up and pulled the wallet out from between his teeth. It was marred with indents of his incisors and canines. However, the impressions were slowly smoothing out. Due to his lack of saliva, the item was dry and he gave it to the scientist, his arm wavering unstably. Undyne moved her hand from his skull and to the shivering arm, gently gripping his hand and soothingly running her thumb over each phalange. The action helped him to calm his breathing and ever so slowly, he was pulled into the luring abyss of calmness and serenity, letting the reptile wrap his arm in bandages and secure them with medical tape.

The silence was broken by the lizard monster's remarks.

"Oh my god. W-What is _Sans_ going to th-think about this?

"We don't need to tell 'im. He doesn't need to know."

"What? _U-Undyne_ , this is his little _brother_ we're t-talking about! He was injured so badly that the _marrow_ was e-exposed! Did you see how much he bled? On a human, this i-injury c-coupled with the blood loss could have resulted in _death_!"

"Humans have bones?" Papyrus thought, filling the emptiness with at least one thing to ponder about as he sniffed and attempted to rub the tears out of his sockets.

"We h-have to tell him."

"Alphys, if Sans finds out, Paps and I may not be able to hang out anymore, or worse! Do you know what he's like when he's pissed off? The guy's terrifying, babe and, if what Paps has been telling me is correct, he's not exactly in the most mentally stable condition right now. Ain't that right, bud?" Undyne turned to the skeleton lying on the metal table, eyebrow raised in question.

"He-he has been r-rather...c-clingy as of late," the skeleton choked out.

"D-don't bring him into this! He's b-been through enough already and this is y-your responsibility!"

The fish woman's visible eye widened

"My responsibility? I didn't do anything!"

"U-uh-huh? And who w-was the one who told him to run the track?"

The blue monster looked to the side, rubbing the back of her neck.

"Well-,"

"And who was the one with the b-bright idea to send dogs after h-him?"

Officer Undyne sighed and looked at her injured friend, sadly.

"Papyrus, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have made ya' run that long, especially with dogs comin' after ya'."

Papyrus slowly sat up on the uncomfortable chrome, wincing as he put pressure  on his injured arm, and looked at her, sympathetically. He sniffed and wiped the tear tracks off of his cheek bones before letting a tiny grin make its way to his face.

"I-It's okay, Undyne. I forgive you. You were just trying to help me train!"

the grin that had come to him moments before fell into a disappointed frown, or, at least, as close to a frown that a skull could get.

"I apologize for o-overworking myself. I should not have panicked and for that, I am truly-."

"Hey, hey, woah! There's no need to apologize, Paps!" Her black combat boots clicked as they made contact with the floor, carrying her body to her skeletal buddy's side.

"I knew you had a fear of dogs and, to be honest, I shouldn't have assigned such a long run in the first place. You're used to running up to thirty five laps, not fifty, and bringing the number up by fifteen is completely unreasonable and uncalled for."

She wrapped an arm around his shoulders and gave him a shark-like grin.

"There's no reason to be ashamed of what you did today. If there's anything to be ashamed of, it's my behavior. I'll accept whatever punishment is dealt to me. I was a Jerk and totally deserve it."

"D-Do you want m-me to call him or do you want to d-do it?" Alphys held her phone in her claws, looking from the screen to her girlfriend. The case had a happy-looking cat girl surrounded by various pink hearts on it and the artwork shone in the harsh, white lights of the lab.

"Alphys, Undyne is right. Sans does not need to know about this. I don't want him worrying more than he already is."

"But Al has a point. He's bound to find out eventually. It's better to get it over with now rather than later," The warrior admitted, submitting to her significant other's will.

" _I'll_ call 'im, 'Phys."

As Undyne pulled out her phone and stepped away, Alphys hobbled over to the tall skeleton's side, giving him a sorry smile.

"Now that it's b-bandaged up, please try not to put much pressure on it. It could aggravate the wound."

"Oh? I did not know wounds could get angry."

The yellow monster chuckled quietly, shaking her head.

"Th-they can't, it's just another way to s-say "irritate" or "hurt". If you p-put pressure on that arm, the injury c-could bec-come hurt and bleed l-like it was just obtained."

She hummed, putting a claw to her lips in thought.

"W-would you like a l-lollipop? I k-keep some in here j-just in case I need to focus."

Instantly, Papyrus's sockets widened, his mandible turning up into an overjoyed smile. The reptilian monster could have sworn that the empty holes sparkled, though that was obviously impossible. He bounced where he sat, kicking his long legs like an overgrown toddler and twiddling his fingers.Sometimes, the reptile thought that the skeleton came straight from one of her Animes. He was certainly cartoonish enough to fit right in if ever an anime were to come to life. His energy level never ceased to amaze her.

"Yes please!"

Moments later, the jolly skeleton was rolling a lolly stick between his teeth, his sockets sparkling even more than before, if that was even possible. He continued to swing his legs, holding his grinning skull in his hands and resting his elbows on his knees, as if waiting in anticipation for a rabbit to hop out of a magician's hat.

Just then, the lab door slammed open, nearly denting the pristinely white walls and being held open by a transparent, blue, ghostly aura. It was wrapped around the metal door handle and slowly shifted, shimmering and pulsating quietly.

" _ **Papyrus**_!"

The monsters' attentions turned to the short, stout skeleton heaving in the doorway. The rib cage underneath his blue sweatshirt and white t-shirt rose and fell quickly and powerfully. Where there was once a magical, white, glowing pupil in his right socket, now there was none. Similarly, the left socket's pupil was replaced by a ring of chilling, flickering, sky blue flame. His grin was still there, but the corners were curved downward, slightly, combining with his angered movements to make a truly terrifying sight.

Sans ran forward, dropping his magical hold on the door as he frantically checked over every inch of his brother's body. Papyrus nearly dropped the lollipop from his jaw in shock. Never in his life had his brother moved this quickly, or so he recalled. The most effort that the short skeleton had ever put into movement was when he had snuck up on someone, and the taller skeleton had no clue how fast Sans was moving when he did that. This further interested the brother. His sibling truly was an enigma.

"Ah you okay? Whe' ah you hu't? Did somethin' break? Can you move yoah-?"

"Sans! C-Calm down!"

"Calm down? Calm _down_? Undyne told me you weh hu't sevealy an' you'e tellin' me to calm down? Ah you _crazy_? Whe' is it, Paps?"

The lights in his sockets were pinpricks now, quivering and flicking in the inky blackness. They checked the taller Skeleton's face, carefully. Nothing bad. Just tiny scratches and a few, barely noticeable scars. Instead of marring his face, they somehow defined the bone, making his little brother seem more alive. He scanned his features again before repeating his question. This time, his voice was low and stern as if scolding a puppy, spitting out each syllable like venom. His brow ridges lowered, impatiently.

"Whe'. Is. It. _Paps_?"

The youngest monster in the room swallowed nervously. He hesitated, thinking of his fishy friend with regretful pity before closing his sockets and shakily lifting his heavily bandaged arm, holding it in front of him. The movement sent a jolt of pain through the wound, marrow stinging beneath the thick dressing before dulling to a slight throb. Though the gauze was thick, the lower layers had already been bled through, making the thinner, almost transparent top layers look to be a reddish-pink color.

Instantly, the ghostly pupils of the elder brother flickered out in shock. They stayed that way, leaving his eyes empty, black voids that latched onto Papyrus's soul and made it freeze up. That look was reserved for times when he was misbehaving especially badly, or when Sans was especially stunned. No matter the reason for the expression, it never failed to fill anyone in it's path with a sense of dread.

"Yeah, uh, he was scraped up pretty bad," Undyne huffed, leaning against the painted doorway.

Her fins were, once again, pressed flat against the sides of her head. Slit pupil narrowed, flitting from the pudgy bone monster to his brother's arm. Transparent drops of sweat trickled from her hairline. Her mouth was set in a tight grin, brows pulled together, sympathetically. She was winded, seemingly having rushed to the lab in order to catch something, or someone.

The smaller skeleton whipped around, the ends of his jacket and hood flipping quietly with the sudden movement. His blank eyes somehow trained themselves on the aquatic monster, narrowing dangerously. Immediately, the fish's grin softened and fell into a small frown, plummeting to a frightened grimace.

"You _tol_ ' me," he growled, his tone soft and cold, "that he would be _**safe**_!" Sans roared, left socket sputtering and bursting into electric blue flame, bony fists clenching so tightly that they began to shake.

"Yeah, I-," she swallowed, her scales paling in color, "I did. And I'm sorry that it didn't turn out that way."

"You _should_ be."

A large bony hand rested on his shoulder and he turned to see the sad eyes of his younger brother.

"P-Please Sans, Do not be angry at her. It w-wasn't her fault."

The smaller monster's gaze softened, pupils reverting to their glowing, white state. They scanned the thin monster's form before hardening once more. Slowly, he turned back toward Undyne, holding out a hand.

"I believe you 'ave somethin' that doesn' belong to ya'."

The fish raised a brow before her visible golden eye widened.

"Oh, right! I uh, took it off 'im so it wouldn't be dirtied or stained," she pulled the long, red scarf out of her backpack and gently tossed the item to the short skeleton. "I know how he'd react if ever that were to happen."

Upon lying sockets on the bright red accessory, the injured monster's face lit up. He reached out, making grabbing motions with his phalanges before taking the article of clothing and hugging it to his chest like a child hugging a blanket. He closed his sockets and rubbed the right side of his skull into the fabric.

"Scarfy! I missed you!"

Sans watched his brother's childish antics, gaze softening once more and grin widening slightly. The two other monsters imitated him, overcome with the happiness enduced by the tall skeleton's innocence. Alphys covered her muzzle with her scaly, yellow hands, giggling quietly at the younger monster.

" _So kawaii_ ," she whispered.

"Well, now that _that's_ ovah," Sans sighed, gripping his brother's arm, "I'm bringin' 'im home. He's been through a lot today an' needs a rest."

"Fine by me," Undyne shrugged, eyeing the dressing with sympathy.

"B-Be careful with his arm!" Alphys yelped as the stout monster began to guide Papyrus to the door.

" _Actually_ ," the fish woman stepped between the doorframe, crossing her arms and blocking the bone brothers' exit, "I'd like a word with the big guy before you go."

"Ah you kiddin'? You've gotta be jokin'! I already left ya' alone with 'im once an' 'e ended up gettin'-!"

"Sans, please," the tall skeleton pleaded gently, succeeding in calming his brother significantly.

The elder sighed through his nasal passage and returned his gaze to the officer, his left eye bursting to life once again as he spoke in a deadly, hushed tone.

" _You hu't him again, an' you'll have mo'e than jus' an ahm to worry 'bout_."

With that, Sans stepped back, letting Papyrus step out with the fish. The two made their way out of the labratory room, the skeleton rolling the lollipop between his jaws. They stopped in a vacant hallway and the aquatic monster leaned against the wall, eying her friend. She paused.

"Y'know, that was a pretty bad stumble back there. I was pretty sure you were gonna pass out or somethin'," She turned her gaze to the wrapped arm. "It still hurtin'?"

"Yes, but it isn't as bad anymore. It just," He hissed suddenly, teared up, and continued to speak, this time as if he were being choked, "s-stings occasionally."

"I figured. It was scraped down to the center," there was a pregnant pause and Undyne scrunched up her face, seeming to contemplate something. "You seemed to handle the pain pretty well."

"Th-thank you. Uh, wh-what's going on? I don't underst-."

"You've been training for a long time."

Papyrus's bony brow raised in confusion.

"Undyne, are you okay?"

"Yeah," She grinned slyly, "just thinkin' about whether or not you're ready to take over for me as captain of the guard."

The skeleton's jaw dropped open and the lolly clattered to the ground, immediately forgotten in his shock. Sockets widened and scanned the fish woman's face for any signs of false play. This caused her sharklike grin to widen and arms to uncross. Finding nothing suspicious, Papyrus's eyes gradually began to sparkle with tears, crinkling happily at the corners. His jaw slowly closed, quivering and grin widening. Brows raised in unrestrained joy.

"Y-you really _mean_ it?" His voice was at a higher octave than normal, cracking and wobbly.

Undyne simply nodded and that was all it took.

Papyrus quickly wrapped both, long arms around his best friend, squeezing her tightly as he hopped energetically. His injury was completely forgotten in the tingly excitement swirling furiously around his soul. It beat frantically as he let the waterworks begin, squealing and laughing and yelling overjoyed 'thank you's, and 'oh my god's, and 'I can't believe it's. So long, he had waited. So furiously had he trained. His shoulders shook with each wail of happiness, causing his bones to click, clatter, and rattle. Undyne laughed with him, replying to his thanks and letting him bounce. She let him ride out his excitement until he ceased his jumping before she gave his back a few, rough pats, taking him by the shoulders and shaking him. She stepped back and stood straight, taking her right arm and straightening it like a sword before lightly tapping both of his shoulders with the pinky side of her hand.

"Papyrus the Skeleton of Monster Street will, hereby, have the title of Leader of the Royal Guard. He has trained valiantly and is ready to take on this great responsibility. Papyrus, do you swear to protect all of monster kind, even if it costs you your life?"

"I-," He sniffled, "I promise."

"Then, from now onwards, you will be known as 'The Great Papyrus, Leader of The Royal Guard'. May your soul be ever strong and merciful."

If it was even possible, the skeleton's grin stretched even more, a few more tears sliding down his pristinely white cheekbones.

"Thank you," he whispered, huffing and sniffling.

"Hey," Undyne said, gripping his shoulders, "you deserve this."

"Thank you."

She barked a laugh and gave the skeleton a hearty noogie, "Stop _thankin_ ' me, _doofus_!"

"The name is _Captain_ Doofus, to you! And I apologize for my _impeccable_ manners!" He yelled, puffing out his chest and putting his fists on his hips before flinching and sucking a breath through his teeth. He gripped his arm wound lightly, closing his eyes and scrunching up his nasal ridge. It seems that the pain had returned, and with a vengeance.

"Hah! I should probably get you back to your bro before he skins me. You look like you need the rest."

"That would probably be the best idea. I would love to rest my arm right now, thanks."

"You're thankin' me again!"

* * *

 

"So, what's it like to be a gau'd?" Sans asked, a bony brow raised as he ran dough through a ravioli cutter.

Usually, cooking was Papyrus's job, however, due to the damage sustained to his arm, the older skeleton brother had decided to take over for the night. Now, the tall skeleton was sprawled across the couch, not unlike how Sans usually lay. He held his right arm close to his chest, nursing it, and let the left rest between the back of the couch and his torso. His skull lay lazily on the armrest closest to the front door so that he could look directly into the kitchen if he chose to do so.

"Well, I haven't yet done anything official, so I'm still not quite sure. All I know is that I will be the best royal guard in the history of royal guards!" He raised his left fist and let out a triumphant 'Nyeh'!

Sans chuckled, running the last bit of dough through before turning and picking up a block of cheddar and a shredder. "I know you will, bro. I know you will. So, what did Alphys say about doe's unhealed injuries?"

"Oh, shoot! I was so caught up in the pain, arguements, and excitement that I completely forgot!" The hyperactive skeleton sighed, "I guess that I will have to schedule with Alphys again. What a pain."

" _Heh_."

There was a pregnant pause before Papyrus shot up, his sockets widening and 'brows' lowering in anger.

"I didn't even mean to make that one! How dare you do this to me, Sans!"

"I'm so proud o' ya', bro."

" _ **UGH**_!" The taller brother laid back down, the couch creaking under his weight.

The smaller brother's belly shook with the effort of holding in his giggles. He struggled to hold the grater straight as the block was raked against it, sending slivers of cheese falling onto each ravioli equally, but somewhat messily.

"You'd _better_ not waste that cheddar! We just bought it _yesterday_!"

"Yeah, yeah, I won't. Don' worry 'boud it," He let out a few light chuckles before silencing and continuing his job.

Time ticked by with the occasional pun by his brother. He would roll his sockets and continue aimlessly staring at the ceiling. He couldn't believe that he was an actual guard member. His lifelong dream fulfilled. His soul leapt at the thought before settling. What now? What would he do now that he got what he was chasing for so long? For once, he was stumped and silent. His sockets seemed to drop and the sound of boiling water fizzed and fell silent. The darkness of his socket lids felt alluring and comforting. The throb of his arm faded. Peace and quiet.

"Bro?"

" _WHAT? WHO? WHERE?_ " He shot up, snapping his skull left and right.

A deep voice barked a laugh as delicate phalanges rested on Papyrus's shoulder. Blinking, he turned his attention to the stocky skeleton in front of him. Slowly remembering the reaction to his awakening, orange magic began rushing to his cheekbones. He let out a few awkward giggles before clearing his nonexistent throat.

"What is going on?"

"Dinnah's ready."

"What? Dinner is never prepared that quickly. Stop slacking please, Sans."

The short monster's hand moved from his brother's shoulder to his ribs in mock offense.

"I'm hu't, bro! How could ya' accuse me o' such a thing? I would nevah!"

The thinner brother gave his elder a pointed look, Sans holding his expression and pose before snorting and letting out a short chuckle.

"Nah, but seriously bro. It's done. I jus' came to tell ya' an' found ya' nappin' hea'."

"Napping? _Preposterous_! The Great Papyrus never rests!"

"Uh-huh? And what weh ya' doin' with y'self hea'?"

"Uh, well," he fumbled, wringing his hands, " _M-Meditating_ , of course!"

"Ah," the older brother nodded, not convinced. "Well, ya' dinnah's gonna get cold if ya' keep _meditatin_ ', so if you want some food you'd bettah knock you'self on ovah hea'."

"Sans."

He lifted his right arm to massage his nasal ridge before a sharp pain reminded him that that was not quite the best idea. Settling for an eyesocket roll, he stood and made his way onto the tiled floor of his kitchen. Sans, who had been left behind in the living room, was in his assigned, wooden chair in the literal blink of an eye. He leaned over the table, skull in his hands and elbows on the wooden surface, watching as his brother pulled out his own chair with his non-dominant arm and gently took a seat.

"Elbows off the table please, Sans."

"Aw, but bro, _elbowve_ you."

"That was horrible. Moreso than usual."

Sans's nonexistent belly shook in laughter as he removed his arms from the table and gently took his fork. Stabbing a ravioli, he looked back toward his brother.

"Yeah, you're right. It really _impales_ in comparison to many o' my othah puns," he said, seemingly immobile teeth opening like gates to let the ravioli through before swiftly closing behind it.

"Please stop," Papyrus sighed, the corners of his grin twitching upward in amusement.

"But bro," he paused to put another cheesy noodle on his fork. "I'm on a _ravioll_!"

The other snorted and facepalmed with his uninjured limb.

"Sans-."

"Come on, _chew_ know you enjoy them! You can barely _teeth_ yourself together!"

"You're _punbearable_!"

The two skeletons paused, sockets staring into each-other eagerly. Their grins were wide and frozen and Sans's eyelights shone bright with stunned joy. A momentary staring contest between the two undead creatures, each waiting for the other to make a move. Finally, the both of them snickered and choked, loud bouts of unrestrained laughter tearing through the momentary silence. Sans's seemingly unopenable jaw parting to let the sound escape. His laugh sharply contrasted to the loud, high-pitched, scraggy, and frankly goofy sound of his baby brother's chortles. Such a sound was reserved only for him and it always brought him cheer and laughter. The two's sockets welled up with magical tears and ever so slowly, the laughter went from raucous to loud until finally reaching an end. The monsters panted harshly, teardrops slowly crawling down their cheekbones.

The older brother wiped a tear off his fat cheekbone and flicked it away, "I'm so proud o' ya', bro."

"Aw, brother," the blush returned to the younger brother's face and he looked away, stuffing a ravioli in his jaw.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, poor Papy! I hope he gets well soon!
> 
> Thank you so much for all the kudos! I’ve only got around ten right now, but the fact that I’m getting any at all is wonderful to me! It means a lot that you guys think my story is good so far and though I do not update as much as many others may, it helps to know that I have this support. Thanks again!

**Author's Note:**

> I wanna hug the skelemallow (I guess I technically can because I made myself a Papy plush but-ehhh)!
> 
> I just migrated from Wattpad! I find that my writing seems to fit better here than it did on there. I hope that you agree and I apologize for any formatting mistakes! I will try my best to avoid such things! Any help with the formatting stuff and such would be greatly appreciated! Do not be afraid to comment, either! Every comment means a lot to me! Thank you and I hope you have a nice day!
> 
> (Papyrus, Sans, Frisk, and all of the rest of the Monsters mentioned in this work of fiction do not belong to me. They belong to Toby Fox. The only thing that belongs to me is the story.)


End file.
